Romani people in Slovenia

Last updated

Romani people in Slovenia
Romi z medvedom v Smarci leta 1934.jpg
Roma with a bear in Šmarca in 1934
Total population
3,246 (2002)
Regions with significant populations
Prekmurje region and Dolenjska region
Languages
Balkan Romani, Italian, Slovene
Religion
Roman Catholicism

According to the 2002 census, there were 3,246 Romani individuals living in Slovenia. [1] They constitute 0.5 percent of the total population. [2] The Slovenia Roma speak Balkan Romani and Italian. [3] The Roma have been living in Slovenia since the 15th century. [4]

Contents

Slovenian Roma live mainly in northeast Slovenia (the Prekmurje region) and southeast Slovenia (the regions of Lower Carniola, the Lower Sava Valley, and White Carniola), as well as in large cities such as Maribor, Velenje, Ljubljana, Celje, Jesenice, and Radovljica. The Sinti live mainly in Jesenice and Radovljica. [5]

The Council of Europe has estimated that approximately 8,500 Romani people live in Slovenia (0.42% of the population). [6]

Background

The Romani people originate from Northern India, [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] presumably from the northwestern Indian states of Rajasthan [11] [12] and Punjab. [11]

The first report of the Roma in the Slovenia region dates from 1453 and refers to a smith. During World War II, part of Slovenia was annexed to Germany and the Roma living there were taken to concentration camps. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

Farruca is a form of flamenco music developed in the late 19th century. Classified as a cante chico, it is traditionally sung and danced by men. Its origin is traditionally associated with Galicia, a region in northern Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Romania</span> Ethnic group

Romani people in Romania, locally referred to as the Țigani, constitute one of the largest minorities in the country. According to the 2011 census, their number was 621,573 people or 3.3% of the total population, being the second-largest ethnic minority in Romania after Hungarians. There are different estimates about the size of the total population of people with Romani ancestry in Romania, varying from 4.6 percent to over 10 percent of the population, because many people of Romani descent do not declare themselves Roma. For example, in 2007 the Council of Europe estimated that approximately 1.85 million Roma lived in Romania, based on an average between the lowest estimate and the highest estimate available at the time. This figure is equivalent to 8.32% of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani society and culture</span> Cultural traits of Romani ethnic groups

The Romani people are a distinct ethnic and cultural group of peoples living all across the globe, who share a family of languages and sometimes a traditional nomadic mode of life. Though their exact origins were unclear, recent studies show Kashmir in Northwest India is the most probable point of origin. Their language shares a common origin with, and is similar to, modern-day Gujarati and Rajasthani, borrowing loanwords from languages they encountered as they migrated from India. In Europe, even though their culture has been victimized by other cultures, they have still found a way to maintain their heritage and society. Indian elements in Romani culture are limited, with the exception of the language. Romani culture focuses heavily on family. The Roma traditionally live according to relatively strict moral codes. The ethnic culture of the Romani people who live in Central and Eastern Europe developed through a long, complex process of continuous active interaction with the culture of their surrounding European population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Bulgaria</span> Constitute Europes densest Romani minority

Romani people in Bulgaria constitute Europe's densest Roma minority. The Romani people in Bulgaria may speak Bulgarian, Turkish or Romani, depending on the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in the Czech Republic</span> Ethnic group

Romani people are an ethnic minority in the Czech Republic, currently making up around 2% of the population. Originally migrants from North Western India sometime between the 6th and 11th centuries, they have long had a presence in the region. Since the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Romani population have experienced considerable hardship, having been a main target of Nazi extermination programs during World War II, and the subject of forced relocation, sterilisation, and other radical social policies during the Communist era. In the successor state, the Czech Republic, challenges remain for the Romani population with respect to education and poverty, and there are frequent tensions with the white majority population over issues including crime and integration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Ukraine</span> Ethnic group

The presence of Romani people in Ukraine, locally referred to as the Цигани/Cyhany, was first documented in the early 15th century. The Romani maintained their social organizations and folkways, shunning non-Romani contacts, education and values, often as a reaction to anti-Romani attitudes and persecution. They adopted the language and faith of the dominant society, being Orthodox in most of Ukraine, Catholic in Western Ukraine and Zakarpattia Oblast, and Muslim in Crimea.

The number of Romani people in Ireland is roughly estimated, as the Central Statistics Office collects its data based on nationality and not ethnic origin. For this reason a precise demographic profile of the Romani in Ireland is not available. Some estimates of Roma in Ireland give the population at 1,700 in 2004, rising to between 2,500 and 3,000 in 2005. The Romani people first migrated from northwestern India between 500 and 600 AD. They first arrived in Europe via Greece and Bulgaria around the 13th century and the majority of Roma remained in Southeastern Europe. Roma have been present in Ireland since the 16th century. Although they intermarried with Irish Travellers and settled indigenous Irish people, they have maintained their Romani identity and culture across generations. However, the majority of the Roma population in Ireland today derive from more recent migrations, primarily from Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia and Italy.

The Romani people of Greece, or Romá, are called Tsinganoi, Athinganoi (Αθίγγανοι), or the more derogatory term Gyftoi. On 8 April 2019, the Greek government stated that the number of Greek Roma citizens in Greece is around 110,000. Other estimates have placed the number of Romani people resident in Greece as high as 350,000.

The Romani people in Turkey or Turks of Romani background are Turkish citizens and the biggest subgroup of the Turkish Roma. They are Sunni Muslims mostly of Sufi orientation, who speak Turkish as their first language, in their own accent, and have adopted Turkish culture. Many have denied their Romani background over the centuries in order to establish a Turkish identity, to become more accepted by the host population.

Romani people in France, generally known in spoken French as gitans, tsiganes or manouches, are an ethnic group that originated in Northern India. The exact number of Romani people in France is unknown; estimates vary from 500,000 to 1,200,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Slovakia</span> Ethnic group

According to the last census from 2021, there were 67,179 persons counted as Romani people in Slovakia, or 1.23% of the population. However, the number of Roma is usually underreported, with estimates placing the Roma population at 7–11% of the population. Thus the actual number of Roma may be over half a million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in North Macedonia</span> Ethnic group

Romani people in North Macedonia are one of the constitutional peoples of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Croatia</span> Ethnic group in Croatia

There have been Romani people in Croatia for more than 600 years and they are concentrated mostly in the northern regions of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani Americans</span> Group of people

Romani Americans are Americans who have full or partial Romani ancestry. It is estimated that there are one million Romani people in the United States. Though the Romani population in the United States has largely assimilated into American society, the largest concentrations are in Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Southwestern United States, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and the Northeast as well as in cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Austria</span> Ethnic group

The Romani people in Austria have lived in the country since the Middle Ages. According to the 2001 census, there were 6,273 Romani speakers in Austria, or less than 0.1% of the population. Estimations count between 10,000 and 25,000. A more recent estimation count between 40,000 and 50,000 Romani people or about 0.5%. Most indigenous Romani people in Austria belong to the Burgenland-Roma group in East-Austria. The majority live in the state of Burgenland, in the city of Oberwart and in villages next to the District of Oberwart. The Burgenland-Roma speak the Vlax Romani language.

The Romani people in Canada are citizens of Canada who are of Romani descent. According to the 2021 Canadian census there were 6,545 Canadians who claimed Romani ancestry. They are sometimes referred as "gypsies", but that is considered to be a racial slur.

Romani people in Germany are estimated at around 170,000–300,000, constituting around 0.2–0.4% of the German population. One-third of Germany's Romani belong to the Sinti group. Most speak German or Sinte Romani.

Romani people in Albania are believed to constitute a large minority in Albania, though in the country's official census in 2011, only 8301 were counted in what was reported to be a deliberate undercounting by Albanian authorities.

Antonia Jiménez is an inland flamenco guitarist and composer, considered to be one of the most prominent Spanish women in that field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Belarus</span> Ethnic group

The Romani people in Belarus are Belarusian citizens of Romani descent. The Roma of Belarus, though relatively small compared to other Eastern European countries, have a history dating back over 500 years. Throughout Belarusian history, the Roma have often faced discrimination for various reasons, particularly under Nazi occupation, the Soviet Union, and the administration of Alexander Lukashenko.

References

  1. Roma – Minority Rights Group
  2. Slovenia – The Roma (Gypsies)
  3. Slovensko Roma
  4. Promoting Social Inclusion of Roma - European Commission
  5. Situation of Roma in participating countries rm.coe.int
  6. "Slovenia".
  7. Hancock, Ian F. (2005) [2002]. We are the Romani People. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. p. 70. ISBN   978-1-902806-19-8: ‘While a nine century removal from India has diluted Indian biological connection to the extent that for some Romani groups, it may be hardly representative today, Sarren (1976:72) concluded that we still remain together, genetically, Asian rather than European’{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  8. Mendizabal, Isabel (6 December 2012). "Reconstructing the Population History of European Romani from Genome-wide Data". Current Biology. 22 (24): 2342–2349. Bibcode:2012CBio...22.2342M. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.10.039 . hdl: 10230/25348 . PMID   23219723.
  9. Sindya N. Bhanoo (11 December 2012). "Genomic Study Traces Roma to Northern India". New York Times.
  10. Current Biology.
  11. 1 2 3 Meira Goldberg, K.; Bennahum, Ninotchka Devorah; Hayes, Michelle Heffner (28 September 2015). Flamenco on the Global Stage: Historical, Critical and Theoretical Perspectives – K. Meira Goldberg, Ninotchka Devorah Bennahum, Michelle Heffner Hayes – Google Books. McFarland. ISBN   9780786494705.
  12. 1 2 Simon Broughton; Mark Ellingham; Richard Trillo (1999). World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East . Rough Guides. p.  147. ISBN   9781858286358. Roma Rajastan Penjab.
  13. Historical Dictionary of the Gypsies (Romanies). p. 254.